Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
14th Edition

Diversity in organizations

Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 2-1

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 2-2
 Biographical characteristics
Age
• The workforce is aging in most developed countries
• The stereotypes of older workers e.g. being behind the times are
changing
• Older workers bring knowledge, experience and commitment to
work

Gender
•Few, if any, differences between men and women affect job
performance
• Females today are much more likely than before to be employed
full time, have advanced education and earn income comparable to
males

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 2-3

 Biographical characteristics
Race and ethnicity
•Race is defined as the heritage people use to
identify themselves
•Heritage refers to the history, practices, etc. of a
country, society or organization
•Chinese, American Indian, etc.
•Ethnicity is the additional set of cultural
characteristics
•Typically, race is associated with biology and
ethnicity with culture
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 Other characteristics

 Religion
May impact the workplace in areas of dressing,
scheduling, etc.

 Gender identity
Transgender employees

 Tenure
Time spent in a job, organization or field

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 Other characteristics

 Disabilities
• Employers should make reasonable
accommodations so workplaces will be accessible
to individuals with physical (e.g. back pain) or
mental (e.g. depression) disabilities
• Recognition of talents and abilities of individuals
with disabilities can make a positive impact
• Technology advancements have widened the
scope of jobs available for people with disabilities

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 Ability

 It is an individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks of a job

 All of us have strengths and weaknesses that make us comparatively superior or inferior in performing certain tasks

 For managers, the challenge is to understand these differences to increase the likelihood of employees performing
their jobs well

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 Abilities

 Intellectual abilities
• Needed to perform mental activities
• Thinking, reasoning and problem solving
• General Mental Ability (GMA) is a measure of overall
intelligence
• The intelligence test most widely used in hiring decisions is
Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test (has 50 qs and takes just 12
mins)

 Physical abilities
• The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity,
strength and related elements

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 Elements of intellectual abilities

E X H I B I T 2–1

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 Diversity management

Although diversity presents multiple opportunities for

organizations, it can lead to the problem of discrimination

Discrimination means allowing our behaviour to be

influenced by stereotypes about people

Stereotyping is judging someone on the basis of our

perception of the group to which that person belongs

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 Diversity management

 Discrimination can lead to negative consequences for

employers, including lower productivity and higher
turnover

 Unfair discrimination also leaves qualified job candidates

out of hiring and promotions

 Since discrimination has increasingly come under both

legal scrutiny and social disapproval, most overt forms
have faded

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 Diversity management

This may have resulted in an increase in covert forms like

incivility

Discrimination can be overt/covert and intentional/unintentional

It is one of the factors that prevent diversity

Discrimination is not always unfair

Diversity management includes working to eliminate unfair

discrimination, through measures such as training programs

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 Forms and examples of discrimination

Actions taken by an organization that

Discriminatory policies or
deny equal work opportunities or
practices
rewards

Intimidation Threats or bullying

Mockery or insult Jokes or stereotypes

From work opportunities, social

Exclusion
events, informal mentoring, etc.

Incivility Aggression, interrupting or ignoring

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 Basic physical abilities

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 Implementing diversity management strategies
 Diversity management makes everyone more aware of and sensitive to the differences and needs of others

 It is how organizations recognize and utilize differences to create a culture that takes advantage of their workforce
diversity

2-15
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 Implementing diversity management
strategies

 Gaining a diverse workforce through selection and developing that workforce

through training will help to foster effectiveness and creativity

 Leaders who emphasize higher-order goals are more effective in managing

diverse teams

 Effective diversity programs

• Clarify the legal framework for equal opportunities and encourage fair
treatment
• Show how a diverse workforce will have better performance
• Support personal development that brings out the abilities of workers,
acknowledging how differences between them can be a valuable way to
improve performance for everyone

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 Implications for managers

Look beyond observable factors and consider every

individual’s capabilities before making decisions

Assess and challenge your stereotype beliefs to increase

objectivity

 Focus on ability in selection, promotion and transfer and

avoid biographical characteristics

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 Implications for managers

 Completely evaluate what accommodations people with

disabilities will need and fine-tune the jobs and workplace
accordingly

Ensure that diversity management is a responsibility at all levels

of your organization

Understand your organization’s anti-discrimination policies and

share them with stakeholders

2-18
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 Global implications
 Intellectual abilities
Structures and measures of intelligence generalize across cultures

 Diversity management
•Managing diversity is important across the world
•However, the approaches are different

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